Legal News

The government has announced a new £18 million fund to accelerate house building on larger sites.

Housing Minister Gavin Barwell said that additional money will enable local councils to bid for a share of the “capacity fund” to tackle planning issues that can cause delay and prevent builders from getting on site and starting work quickly.

The money will help accelerate delivery of up to 800,000 homes and infrastructure across large sites in England – and is part of a wider package of measures to increase the number of homes in local areas, including the creation of six new Housing Zones that will support development on brownfield land to provide 10,000 homes.

The government is also helping to support and fund a new locally led Garden Town at Otterpool Park, Shepway in Kent which will deliver up to 12,000 new homes.

Housing Minister Gavin Barwell said:

“We want to turbo-charge house building on large sites to get the homes built in the places people want to live, so that this country works for everyone, not just the privileged few.

“These sites offer enormous potential to transform brownfield land into new homes and our £18 million funding will help get them built much sooner.

“Furthermore, we are getting behind plans for a new Garden Town which offers a unique opportunity to boost the local economy, jobs and provide new homes in Shepway, Kent.”

The six new housing zones are Sheffield Housing Zone; South Yorkshire
North East Lincolnshire Urban Housing Zone, with sites in Grimsby and Cleethorpes; as well as Hoyland-Wombwell Strategic Housing Zone, Barnsley, South Yorkshire; Sandwell Housing Zone, Sandwell in the West Midlands; Pennine-Lancashire Housing Zone, with sites in Blackburn and Burnley; and Wirral Waters Housing Zone on Merseyside.

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

Duncan Lewis housing solicitors can advise on a wide range of housing law, including advising developers and self builders on planning permissions and planning appeals.

There are Duncan Lewis offices across England and Wales and our housing team is also able to advise on:

• Debt management for homeowners


• Disrepair of rented property


• Housing Benefit


• Housing possession


• Landlords’ obligations


• Landlord and tenant disputes


• Lease extensions


• Local Authority housing


• Mortgage repossession


• Notice to quit


• Nuisance neighbours


• Right to Buy


• Right to Rent checks


• Tenancy agreements


• Unlawful eviction.